IT workers turning to unions as tech layoff tsunami reaches India

Thousands of tech professionals at risk of losing their jobs are fighting retrenchment by complaining to government authorities and, most surprisingly for the elite industry, joining trade unions.

- Rohini Mohan India Correspondent

Last week, Amazon India emailed its over 100,000 employees across the country, offering a voluntary separation programme (VSP). It said eligible employees across eight levels can resign by Nov 30 to avail themselves of a severance package that included at least 22 weeks' base pay.

Mr Harpreet Singh, president of the 2,700-member strong Pune-based Nascent Information Technology Employees Senate (Nites), said he received 18 to 20 distress calls from Amazon employees there.

Nites sent a letter on Nov 19 to Indian labour minister Bhupender Yadav, alleging that the VSP at Amazon India violated labour laws by laying off staff without government permission. Amazon India on Wednesday denied this in a hearing before the ministry, saying it had not sacked any employees, but only let go of those who chose the VSP.

Most Indian IT workers are employed by local software giants such as Infosys, Tata Consultancy

Services and Wipro, which have laid off thousands of workers since the pandemic, save for a short hiring bonanza late last year.

This month, as big tech multinationals like Meta, Google, Amazon and Twitter lay off staff globally, their India offices are also seeing painful exits.